In boilers of the kind utilized in electric power generating installations it is common to utilize a large number of main burners for the combustion of liquid, gaseous, or solid fuel at a rate sufficient to generate steam for the driving of turbine generators. Before igniting the main burners, however, it is common practice to combust fuel at a lesser rate utilizing so-called warm-up burners or lighters. The warm-up burners are utilized to raise the temperature and pressure of a boiler at a desired rate, following which the main burners may be ignited from flames produced by the warm-up burners.
Fuel discharged from the warm-up burners conventionally is ignited from so-called igniters located within or adjacent the warm-up burners and through which fuel is discharged and ignited to form a flame which can be utilized to ignite the warm-up burners.
One of the disadvantages of conventional boiler systems of the kind referred to above is the necessity of having to provide three separate sets of burners, i.e., the igniter burners, the warm-up burners, and the main burners. Among the advantages of the present invention is its ability to function both as an igniter and as a warm-up burner.